Automotive information systems today essentially use individual signal paths, sensor signals being relayed from a vehicle-relevant area to a warning lamp via a signal, analyzer logic unit, the warning lamp being provided specifically for this area. Acoustic signals are also used as warnings. This may be more or less satisfactory, depending on the defect and/or technical problem that has occurred in the vehicle. Such a warning is fully adequate in a case when a warning buzzer is activated on the driver's door being opened when the engine is turned off and the headlight is on, because the underlying technical problem is very simple, namely that the battery of the vehicle will be used up rapidly during a lengthy parking with the headlight turned on and there would be no serious consequences.
Several events coincide in situations which are more complex technically and concern events relevant to driving safety, involving measurement signals from multiple sensors, e.g., when driving in mountains when the tire air pressure is too low, the outside temperature is very low and the coolant water temperature is high combined with a low coolant water level at the same time, making it difficult for the driver to draw a reasonable conclusion from the different warning signals presented to him. In other words, there is no more comprehensive information regarding the gravity and more far-reaching consequences of the problem that has occurred or the plurality of problems occurring simultaneously. The driver may obtain information in the operating manual regarding the significance of the error signal when a certain warning light comes on, but in practically all cases the driver is instructed by the manual to take the vehicle to the nearest repair shop more or less immediately to have the problem analyzed and corrected by an expert. The disadvantage to this procedure is that it is remote from the practical situation and under some circumstances may unnecessarily worry the driver or leave the driver in uncertainty.
One approach for an automotive warning system is described in German Engineering Society Reports No. 687, 1988, for example. However, this system is limited to output of warning instructions to the driver based on very simple events from a technical standpoint, such as falling below the value set for the minimum tank level. The system disclosed there does not make any proposal for how the driver is to be informed and/or warned in a manner that is satisfactory for the driver in more complex situations.